Edward Shiplee helps people close the gap between their current job and their dream job. As Vice President of Global Admissions at General Assembly, he oversees our efforts to connect people around the world — from the Middle East to Singapore, Australia, Canada, the USA, and beyond — to the technical skills they need to thrive in a new career.
“My favorite part about working at General Assembly is meeting all the different students and people I get to work with to make incredible things happen,” said Shiplee.
Shiplee started at General Assembly’s London campus as an Admissions Producer in 2014, supporting consumer-facing sales and admissions activities. Prior to joining General Assembly, he accrued valuable experience as both a business and sales generation specialist.
We recently sat down with Edward to learn more about his work and what he’s most excited about moving forward.
ON THE ADMISSIONS PROCESS
We work with every student through the entire admissions process.
For Shiplee, admissions is as much about helping students discover the right career pathway as it is about preparing them to succeed at one of our bootcamps.
“We work with every student through the entire admissions process, from the first time they raise their hand to ask a question about General Assembly to when they decide to enroll,” explained Shiplee.
This discovery process gives students the opportunity to learn more about their topic of interest. They can go hands-on with a short task simulating a day in the life of their chosen field to learn whether that tech discipline is right for them. Finally, students take part in a short interview with our Admissions team that allows both the student and our team to learn more about each other and answer any outstanding questions.
“We’re serious about exploring all the financing options available to our students, and we always make sure all the logistics are worked out ahead of time so they can start their bootcamp from day one without any hassle,” said Shiplee.
ON THE AI REVOLUTION
There will always be a need for real people.
As advances in artificial intelligence make waves in the tech world, some looking to enter the tech industry workforce are unsure how and whether to adapt to these large-scale changes.
To help students understand why they should embrace this burgeoning technology, Shiplee makes a thoughtful yet unexpected comparison: ready-made frozen meals.
“It’s novel to consider now, but when it was first introduced, processed food freaked people out,” explained Shiplee. “Now, people eat frozen meals all the time, but that didn’t replace the need for real people who can cook different foods people want to eat.”
He continues, “It’s the same with AI. It can augment what you do by handling certain tasks you might have done before, but you’ll still be in charge of putting all your work together in a way that makes sense. There will always be a need for real people who know when to use these AI tools and how to use them well.”
ON HIS JOURNEY TO SUCCESS
He was an absolutely fantastic teacher because he made things come to life.
In high school, Shiplee met Mr. Grundy, an English teacher who, in shaping a new, better learning approach, would become his lifelong favorite educator.
“He was an absolutely fantastic teacher because he made things come to life,” said Shiplee. “He really inspired everyone to read past the words and dig more deeply into stories to see what the author was trying to do.”
It’s this experience that, years later, Shiplee would lean on to help others see the value of learning new tech skills at General Assembly — and he’s still learning to this day.
“I’m always reading and looking at our experts here at GA and in the wider tech industry to observe what they’re doing so I’m best prepared to try my hand at as much as possible,” said Shiplee. “I’m very much the type of student that has to pick something apart to figure out how it works. Recently, I’ve been going hands-on to learn about financial modeling, trying to discover how revenue streams and things like that work and predict how they’ll change over time.”
ON WHAT’S AHEAD AT GA
I think this is going to be a really exciting year for the team at GA.
As an admissions leader, Shiplee is constantly seeking new ways to make General Assembly bootcamps more appealing and inviting for the largest number of potential students possible.
“This is going to be a really exciting year,” he said. “We’ve just rolled out part-time bootcamps, including for our software engineering, UX design, and data analytics curricula, that give students more flexibility to fit General Assembly learning experiences into their schedules.”
He continues, “I’m really excited that this new part-time option opens our bootcamps to more people who need to upskill to start a new technical career but previously couldn’t due to commitments like work or family.”
It’s all part of Shiplee’s commitment to making General Assembly the best destination for tech student prospects.
“I think students choose General Assembly in part due to our global footprint. We can quickly adapt and grow our curriculum to meet the evolving learning needs of people around the world, which I think is so important. It helps students feel more confident that they’re getting the most up-to-date and in-demand tech skills they can use to succeed in the fast-paced tech industry or anywhere else that needs their expertise.”
If you’re looking for technology skills to better seize new career opportunities, get in touch today for more information from our Admissions team or to apply for the bootcamp or course that’s right for you.